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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. current — happening now
  4. craft — a skill
  5. last — final
  6. lean — to bend
  7. current — of water
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lean — thin
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cap — a hat
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. capital — a city
  15. current — electric
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. craft — boats
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cap — a lid
  23. snap — to click
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com